Ok, now is time for the match-up write up as promised. Format is simple. I list pros and cons of each char in the match-up when compared to one another. Then I go over their options and how they interact at different ranges as well as wake-up and footsies.
Pros and Cons
Sagat
Pros
- Greater comeback potential due to damage on Tiger Destruction and easy numerous set-ups.
- Very strong okizeme game
- Good AA game
- Kara knees and EX knees are good for controlling mid range
- TU is great for getting out of trouble and dealing with Dudley’s great pressure game and okizeme
Cons
- Tiger Shots can be punished on reaction by Dudley
- Sagat has to take more risks to contain Dudley and keep him honest
- Can easily be put on the defensive once Dudley is around midrange
Dudley
Pros
- Shuts down Tiger Shots with ease thanks to Ducking and Rolling Thunder
- At footsie range hp and f+hp can shut down alot of Sagat’s options, stuffing him and giving Dudley momentum
- Great pressure game/mix-ups
- Great okizeme
- Doesn’t have too much trouble getting in when played intelligently
- Great damage output
Cons
- Very poor wake-up hinders him greatly when faced with Sagat’s strong okizeme
- If Sagat plays a strong defensive/reactive game during footsies, Dudley can have problems gaining any momentum.
Far Screen
This is a no brainer. Sagat will throw shots and Dudley has the tools to deal with them. Duds can duck, FA, neutral jump, and jump forward to handle shots. Ideally Duds will want to build meter for Rolling Thunder before moving in and trying to close the gap. Sagat’s goal here isn’t just to hit Duds though since that would be pretty tough on it’s own. But simply to draw out a bad/preemptive response like a random Duck so that he can catch it. Throwing slow shots while walking Duds to the corner is a solid strategy for Sagat. Any Duds worth his salt won’t be at this range for long so it’s imperative for Sagat to take advantage of it while he can. Not much else to say here. If Duds can’t get in from far screen he must be asleep.
Mid Screen
Things are now getting hairier for The King of Muay Thai. Can’t just throw shots with reckless abandon now. They can be punished on reaction with Duck Straight for a chunk of health. To make things worse for Sagat, a well spaced Duck Straight can’t be punished normally due to block pushback. Sagat can still super it though so Duds should be weary of a Sagat with full bar. So at this range Duds wants to sort of dance back and forth menacingly and that alone will put pressure on Sagat and make him want to do something. If Sagat refuses and just blocks Duds can keep him honest with a little chip from a spaced Duck Straight or lp MGB. Sagat isn’t helpless here though. He has several things he can do. First off he can still jump back and walk back or forward to mess with spacing himself. He can neutral jump which is a relatively low risk way to avoid a Duck Straight and punish it. He can also buffer his cr.lk or st.lp into high shot to stop Duck attempts and push Duds back out. Overall risk vs reward does favor Duds here BUT, buffer lights into shots is a very effective way to stuff Duck attempts and keep Duds out. Sagat also has kara TK’s and EX TK to aid him. It’s actually pretty easy to catch Duds with these since he is usually focused on getting in or trying to bait a shot that he can duck through. In this scenario Duds may try a jump in, and since he jumps low it can be somewhat tough to react too, but Sagat still has his TU so no real worries there.
Footsies
Duds main buttons here are of course his hp and f+hp. But his cr.mp and st.hk are good as well. st.hk buffered into MBG is a very good tactic and can catch Sagat’s normals when he whiffs. Duds jabs can also catch Sagat’s buttons similar to Rog, and once that happens Duds can try to walk himself in if Sagat was caught off guard. On the flip side Sagat has several good buttons vs Duds. His st.mk is an all purpose poke that has alot of priority. Buffered cr.lk and st.lp are still good as well. But Sagat’s cr.mp gets special mention. It works really well in stuffing Duds hp, f+hp and even Duck Straight depending on spacing. It seems to slip right under the hitbox of these attacks and tags Dudley. Cr.mp buffered into low shot is a great footsie tool in this match. Sagat also has good whiff punishers in st.hp and st.hk. Overall when it comes to footsies they can both hang in there with each other. And of course they both have solid FA’s to use during footsies.
Pressure
Both chars have strong pressure games. Duds has his jab strings as well as frame traps using st.hp, cr.mk, st.hk, and cr.mp. Sagat has his cr.lk strings which act as natural frame traps and several tech traps using cr.hp, cr.mk buffered into low shot, cr.mp, and st.mk. Duds is slightly worse off when dealing with Sagat’s pressure since he needs EX to have a decent reversal while Sagat does not, but on the flip side his pressure game and mix-ups are better and he has an easier time staying in thanks to f+mk.
Wake-up
This is where Duds weakness really shows and Sagat’s strength shines. Unless Duds has meter he will be hard pressed to get Sagat off of him. Sagat can win off a few knockdowns so Duds needs to be careful. Duds oki is amazing, but Sagat has his TU so for Duds even with his great oki game, it’s still a risk he is taking. Duds will need to really feel out his opponent, but if he gets his damage in he can end rounds fast with only a few combos then a dizzy. After that it should be ggpo. And unlike Sagat Duds actually has a few easy safe jump set-ups off his throws, which allow him get in and start his pressure game on Sagat’s wake-up.
Overview
In certain areas neither character has a huge advantage over the other. They can both hang with each other for the most and they each have tools to negate each others greatest strengths. Sagat’s TU keeps Duds great oki game and pressure game in check. Sagat’s great zoning is kept in check by Ducking and Rolling Thunder. In terms of options I think they go head to head. But Duds does get the nod in one area. Consistent high damage output. Duds can make you feel pain for a mistake or even if he manages to get a simple overhead in. Sagat’s damage however is mediocre, so he loses the battle of attrition. Now Sagat does have higher comeback potential, which I think evens that out. Is the match even or does it lean towards Duds? Eh, right now I’m leaning towards even. Duds wake-up is just bad and it’s all too easy for him to get knocked down then take damage simply because he lacks options. Duds may have advantage at mid screen, but I feel like that’s the only time he has a real advantage and the advantage isn’t that big unlike when Sagat gets a knockdown on Duds which is a sizeable advantage IMO. And even when Duds gets in the threat of TU is still there and if Sagat has meter and Ultra, Duds has to respect that or risk getting taking huge damage. Right now I call it as 5/5 or 5.5/4.5 Duds. Time will tell though once the metagame solidifies.
Thanks again to all the Duds players that helped me out. Feel free to play me anytime.
Would’ve helped alot in the match up